There’s nothing happier than a happy dog. Most people would agree that to be satisfied a dog needs to have confidence and independent. It’s also true that there are many dogs that, for one reason or another, cling to their owners. They may be anxious or fearful at times. You can teach your dog to be independent, but it does take some effort on your part.
A dog is said to be a human’s best friend. It is therefore not unusual to realize that some traits found in dogs are similar to some of humanity’s features. Yes, this is the case. Some people are opportunistic and view the world from the positive side and they always okay with any outcome. On the other hand, there are pessimists, who see nothing right in life, they hardly enjoy what life has to offer.
It is the same case with dogs. There are those dogs that will always be either; facing the ground or their tails tucked between the legs. They are still in fear and lack confidence. With the right steps followed, building a dog’s faith should not be such a daunting task, although it will require all hands on deck. There will need to learn to communicate with your pet dog.
More is not always better, the overconfident dog tends to miss behave, and this can be a shaming situation for a dog owner. It is therefore right for your dog to have the right level of confidence that isn’t either too much or too less.
This article will give you 12 tops to build your dog’s confidence.
Table of Contents
1. Involve your dog in activities
Dogs are meant to be active animals, in one word they are doers. You can purchase or get a lightweight jacket with pouches for your Dog, on which the dog can help you carry items such as your wallet and light packages. It will boost your dog’s confidence as it will make it acquire a sense of belonging by feeling involved.
2. Cultivate your dog manners
Among the tips talked about by dogs specialists on dog’s confidence, is to teach your dog some ways and to be obedient to its master at all time. Let the dog be aware that there are consequences to anything it does, either good or bad. Teach your dog to learn how to take and respond to commands. For puppies, this might be a tiresome process, but all it takes is patience. Coercion is not advisable as a means for instilling manners to your dog. You can use treats to lure your dog to follow the commands. Although this could pamper the dog, you could praise the dog instead of real gifts.
3. Train your dog to sit on command
Training your dog to sit on command is a right place for you and your dog to start your confidence training. It’s an excellent, secure command which your puppy will master very quickly. This command will boost your pet’s self-esteem and give your dog a solid start on training your dog other more complicated controls and skills. The additional advantage of sit on command training is that it gives you an excellent alternate behavior to request of your dog. If it likes to greet visitors to your home by jumping up all over them, or charges out the front door every time it opens, you can gain control of him by applying your sit command.
4. Obedience training
Next start obedience training. It’s the first step in helping to socialize your dog as it will help them to feel comfortable in their body. The better they become at understanding and obeying commands the stronger their confidence will grow. Always encourage your them when they do something right. Teaching them to weave, play, fetch and other tricks are fun for both of you as well as exercise and technique learning for your pet. Do not baby them when they are learning. If they need to be corrected because they got something wrong, do it. They will feel more confident if they know their boundaries.
5. Socialize your dog
Dog socialization means that your dog taught (hopefully from a young age) turned to feel comfortable with themselves around humans, other dogs, and different environments regardless of their breeds and characters. Mixing them in as many different circles of people and pets is the best start. After the age of 4 months, if you have socialized your puppy correctly, he should be very confident in new surroundings and company. If you haven’t done this from a young age or you’ve taken on an older dog, then the above obedience training will be a step in the right direction.
6. Constructional aggression treatment
Dr. Jesus Rosales Ruiz of the University of North Texas introduced Constructional Aggression Treatment (CAT). This method’s objective is to make a fearful dog courageous. The concept makes the use of a person that the dog fears. It is a series of steps followed whereby, you stand with your dog beside you. Then let your helper, whom the dog is afraid of, approach from the opposite side from a distance. Let your helper continue approaching until the dog shows the first sign of fear. From there, let the “Threat” retreat and turn away. Practice this from time to time as it will take before gains enough courage. The practice behind this is, the dog will assume that for every time the “threat” retreats, it is afraid of it. It builds your dog’s confidence by making it believe that it is feared.
7. Behaviour Adjustment Training (BAT)
Behaviour Adjustment Training (BAT) is similar to the step as mentioned above three (CAT) above; only that it has an opposite approach. In BAT, the dog and the owner starts to form a distance towards your helper (scary person). If the dog shows any agitation, wait until the dog relaxes then let the dog move away from the area. The next time you repeat the process, close the distance with the threat each time and make the dog retreat after it has relaxed every time it shows any agitation.
8. Welcome the dog’s opinion
Sometimes we assume we know what is best with others including our spouses, children, and dogs. We might not always be right. It is sometimes right to welcome inputs from others and to seethe from their point of view.
You could let the dog choose where it will sleep, or on which way to take during a walk. Let the dog bring you the collar by its self when it sees you preparing for a step. It helps the dog’s confidence by making it aware it can make the right decision even by itself.
9. Learn how to asses your dog’s attitude
Just like people, the dogs have different moods, and it requires a strategic way to approach them. Let them feel understood and loved. It is not always that the dog is in a walking mood. You can only be aware of this if you know your dog’s behavior. In such a case you can switch your routine and decide to play indoors with the dog. When the dog shows edgy behaviors, it is advisable to cuddle and present it with warm.
10. Take care with your posture and body language.
Try to determine how your dog is the most comfortable with you, sitting or standing, then slowly work to desensitize him to your movements from each position.
11. Reward
Remember to reward your dog with plenty of praise and attention when he is behaving calmly and confidently. Ignore him if he urinates on the floor or trembles under your care, and resist the urge to comfort him.
If you give your dog attention when he is showing fearful behavior, it will only reinforce the behavior.
It may seem harsh, and your natural feeling will be to try to comfort your dog, but it is best for both of you if you wish to change your dog into a confident, happy animal.
12. Always take your dog out
Take your dog to the park where you can both sit and watch other owners and dogs. It will help your dog to get used to being around others without having to interact at this stage. You need to do this as regularly as possible.
You could be unwittingly encouraging your dogs fear by your behavior.
Next time you’re walking your dog pays attention to how you react when another dog approaches. Do you immediately tighten the lead or guide your dog away from interacting? You may think this is a right way of reassuring him but your dog will pick up very quickly on your reactions and take being cautious as the reasonable thing to do when they see a new dog.
Staying silent and smoothly strolling ahead without quickening your pace won’t caution your pooch to any issues. Don’t let your pet think you are empowering apprehensive conduct as the right method to feel.
Conclusion
Fear aggression is a state you do not want your dog getting. It is tough to correct. It is precise as it sounds, aggressive behavior produced as a result of fear. A dog will attack or become bold first so that the other dog doesn’t. If you find yours has gone too far down this road, then you really should invest in a dog behavioral expert. No amount of obedience training will change the underlying problems. Fear, a lack of early socialization, abuse, and possible genetic conditions could all be contributing to this problem.
Turned Shy and fearful dogs into confident and happy members of your family with a little patience, training, and understanding. Conditions such as this can be due to abuse earlier in life, or it may just be part of your dog’s personality, but can affect their lives in many ways.
Hope these tips will help your dog in building confidence. You should also have noted that in all the above steps that patience is essential and get to learn your dog’s behavior. Before you know it, your dog will be walking “head up high.”
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